Worcester dog found a year later in Florida

WORCESTER — Amanda Ahadov had just about given up on getting her dog back. It had been a year since her 8½-year-old Chihuahua, Bonbon, had gone missing in Worcester.

When the phone rang last month with a call from Orange County Animal Services in Orlando, Fla., she could barely believe it. Her dog had been found — 1,200 miles away.

"It was really awesome," Mrs. Ahadov said. "We packed up everything and flew down to Orlando."

Mrs. Ahadov and her husband, Emil, had hitched Bonbon up outside a friend's house in the Greendale area while they went inside in July 2012. When they came out a few minutes later, the dog was gone. Bonbon was microchipped, so the couple were hopeful someone would find and return her to them. They scoured the neighborhood, searched the newspaper and used the Pet Amber Alert system to try to find her -- with no success.

Just what happened to Bonbon between last year and the phone call they received last month is a mystery to the Ahadovs. Due to privacy concerns, Orange County Animal Services would only tell them that the dog had come to them after living with someone in the Worcester area. That person turned Bonbon in to the shelter saying they could no longer care for her. When the shelter checked for a microchip, they found it and contacted the Ahadovs.

"I was really just glad somebody found her," Mrs. Ahadov said.

Bonbon's tail started wagging as soon as she saw the Ahadovs. Upon returning home, Bonbon was reunited with her brother, Bubba, whom the Ahadovs also own.

"Their tails were wagging and they were all really happy," Ahadov said.

Contact Noah Bombard at noah.bombard@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @Noah_R_Bombard.